Glory and the Other Girl

“I've got to get up and stop that clock!” Glory said.

The week before the graduating exercises at the Centre Town Seminary, Glory had another of her “ideas,” and of course she carried it to Aunt Hope.

“Why not?” she said, when she had introduced it to her. “It would be like one of Tiny Tim's plays. He could go, too, and help us ‘play’ it, don't you see? I think I should enjoy graduating better if Diantha ‘played graduate’ with me. The teacher wouldn't care if she sat with me down on the end seat. I don't believe she ever had a white dress in her life – a soft, thin, floaty one.”

“Would you like to have hers just like yours, Glory?”

“Just, auntie. She's the – the friendest friend I ever had,” Glory said simply. “I'd like to have her close when I'm there getting ready to read.”

And so it came about that graduation day found the Other Girl beside Glory, in a beautiful white dress that lay about her in soft, sheer folds. The Other Girl's face above it was shining and rapt. This was almost like graduating herself. On the other side of Glory sat Tiny Tim, in the conscious pride of his best suit. There was no little crutch in sight. Timmie had hidden it under the seat. He was playing “Uncrutchit.”

“You can't see – an'thing, can you?” he whispered anxiously to the Other Girl, across Glory's lap.

“Not a splinter of it, Timmie.”

“An' you don't see where my legs don't match, do you?”

“No, not a single bit.”

“That's all right, then.” Timmie's brow smoothed with relief. He was silent a moment, and then his little whispering voice again, this time to Glory:

“Say, isn't this just splendid! I'm playin', an' Di's playin'. You're the only one that's it, honest true.”

Another silence. Then, “Say, I'm sorry I wokened you up that time, screamin' ‘Fire!’”

Glory laughed down into the repentant little face. “I'll forgive you, Timmie,” she whispered. And then the exercises began and the air was full of a blast of jubilant music.

When it was all over, the three went back to Little Douglas together on the train. There was to be a bit of a banquet in Aunt Hope's room.

Glory had a neat white parchment roll in her hand, and she held it shyly, as if she had not had time to get very well acquainted with it.

“To think this is a diploma with Gloria Wetherell in Latin inside it!” she cried.

“To think this is a beautiful white dress with me inside!” answered the Other Girl. “Do you know – oh, do you know, it doesn't smell of rubber at all? There isn't a whiff about it; it's just sweet and dainty and —other-folksy.”

On the train the Crosspatch Conductor drew Glory aside a moment. His eyes rested first on the parchment roll.

“Got it, didn't you? Good! Well, I've got it too. She's consented – grandma has. I've told her all about the other one, and what you said, and it's going to be all right. We won't tell her yet until we get kind of used to it ourselves, don't you see?”

“Oh, I'm so glad!” cried Glory, clasping her hands. “I don't believe I ever can keep it. To think she'll leave that old rubber factory and be in a nice, pleasant home all the time, and help her folks, and be having some of her dreams come true. I wonder what she will say!”

“I thought we'd get her over to the house and have Danny tell her. He's a great one for setting things out.”

“You're the best man I ever knew in the wide world!” said Glory. “But I can't keep it very long – you mustn't expect me to.”

The conductor laughed. “All right – all right. I'll get grandma to write. I've got her address. One of the men down at the factory told me a good deal about her. There are many ways of finding out about folks when one sets about it.”

“Well, you'll never find out anything about Diantha but what's nice,” said Glory. “Oh! I'm so glad!” And not a happier girl than Gloria Wetherell could have been found in all that region.

As to the Other Girl, her heart nearly burst with its weight of happiness when she found out what was in store for her.

“It's Glory's doings. She has just glorified my whole life, and helped me to find the rainbow. And Timmie! – won't I find a rainbow for him too, bless him! And some day his legs shall be twins, if working can do it.”